The Postpartum Brain Explained

You’re probably familiar with the term “mom brain” or “pregnancy brain”, something we often refer to as mothers when we’re overwhelmed and our capacity to think feels limited in some way. This might feel like losing your train of thought mid-sentence during a conversation or feeling extra forgetful. Perhaps it’s putting the gallon of ice cream into the pantry. The reality is that you aren’t just imagining that your brain works differently during and after pregnancy. Research shows that there are structural changes in a mother’s brain that continue to be present at least two years following pregnancy. 

Recent MRI studies show that there are structural changes (decrease in volume of gray matter in the brain) that occur following pregnancy. This is likely a result of the many hormonal, physical, and emotional changes that one undergoes during pregnancy. And this tends to be true for those that conceive naturally or via assisted reproductive technology such as IVF.

So what does this mean? Essentially, the areas of the brain where there is reduced volume of gray matter have many implications. One of the findings is that gray matter in the hippocampus is reduced, which is the brain’s memory processing structure. This might, in part, explain some of the typical forgetfulness. And it’s not necessarily that this part of the brain doesn’t work as well, but more so that these resources are channeled elsewhere– to connect with the baby.

Other areas of the brain that are impacted by pregnancy are brain areas involved in social tasks, which happen to be the same brain areas that are activated when mothers engage with their infants. It’s important to note that the changes are not a bad thing, rather they indicate that the brain changes and adapts, perhaps to prioritize attachment to the infant. It seems that these changes are an adaptive response to motherhood and help the mother respond to her infant.

In summary, the transition to postpartum involves enormous changes and during this process there are structural changes taking place in our brain to help us become more equipped as mothers. So no, you’re not “losing your mind”, there may just be ways in which your brain is changing that has an impact on your behavior and the way you experience yourself and your relationship with your infant.